Pantex Christmas project auctions gift baskets in July

What better time to think about Christmas than the middle of July when it’s 100 degrees outside?

Pantex Christmas Project organizers are counting on their fellow Pantexans to overlook the sweltering heat and generate a little Christmas cheer in an effort to raise money for families who will need help this holiday season.

The Christmas Project’s committee came up with the idea to ask departments and organizations across the Pantex Plant to create baskets that are then auctioned to raise money for the Project. The response, with more than 50 baskets submitted to the silent auction, has been overwhelming. Basket themes range from outdoor activities, grilling and sports to quilting, movie night and family games.

Pantexans will bid on the baskets over the next two weeks, with bids already totaling several thousand dollars. All of the money will go the Christmas Project, which each year picks about 50 needy families to provide with gifts and necessities to ensure they have a Merry Christmas.